What deciding factors make protection and self-defense for leftists the most important?
• Local political demographics
• Size of city/town
• If there is other leftist organizations in the local area

If a lone leftist or small club of leftist live in either a dominantly conservative region, or in a place where conservative and liberal influence is equal, the subject of protection is at the highest importance.

If a lone leftist or small club of leftists live in a small town of a few hundred people, this could be a call to needing protection, depending on the political demographics.

If there is two or more leftist organizations in your general region, protection isn’t as much of an importance as long as leftist comrades stick to a squad of trusted leftist comrades.

Basic tips to help increase protection:
• Use a fake surname in case of hostile enemies finding your home or family’s home.
• Keep personal and political life separate.
• When outside of your home, always keep watch over your surroundings.

For leftist organizations:
Leftist organizations need to put a heavy focus in to protection and self-defense. Leftist organizations when out at rallies, must pull an old tactic from history, when the communist party use to have “Marshall’s” watching over their rally. Marshall’s being comrades dressed as regular civilians, who are either carrying or have quick access to a weapon, who would sit outside a rally. They would watch over the rally from the sidewalk in order to keep eyes out for right-wing extremists, or violent anti-communists. Being hidden among the crowd would make them unknown to the hostile opponent who would seek to harm those in the rally. This would ensure the safety of the comrades.

For the leftist organizations, the formation of a protection unit for comrades at a protest, strike, or rally, is the most important thing for the safety of our comrades in a reactionary society.

Those who are in such a protection unit must be well trained with a gun, legally carrying, and know basic hand to hand combat. They must also know how to use mace in times of less extreme confrontation.

For small leftist clubs:
Small leftist clubs, be it a club of 3 or 15 people, the subject of a protection unit isn’t assigned to a few specific comrades, but must be the majority of the club, if not the entire club.

Small clubs are very vulnerable and easy to be outnumbered by violent anti-communist and/or white supremacists. Thus, all within the small club must work together to learn how to protect themselves and their comrades. Subject like hand to hand combat must be learned. A workout plan for the club to put itself in shape. Possible gun training (If the club is of people over 18.) How to keep watchful eye over each others surroundings. It is also important to notice the body language of a hostile individual, watch his/her body language to make sure they aren’t going to reach for a weapon, or if they aren’t going to start punching, or otherwise. Doing this you can also mentally process if the individual has a bulged out section under the shirt, indicating the presence of a gun or knife.

For lone leftists:
For leftists who are basically by themselves with no club nor leftist comrades, it is important they find the best option to protect themselves from hostile violence. The best course of action for leftists who are by themselves in a hostile reactionary region, is to look for whatever someone left leaning organization is in their vicinity and try to form friends with their local members. This and/or seeking their family or best friends, people they can trust, to form a squad with. A protection unit of not really leftists, but trusted allies. It is also important not to leave by yourself without some kind of weapon for protection. Be it knife of gun (legally owned.)

The real enemy:
Many young people in the United States think that the main problem today is the fight between the growing ultraright and racist movements versus people with leftist politics. There are many questionable groups that create counterproductive situations. We urge leftists to study the events they are attending and all groups that are participating. Our goal is to bring socialism, to build a strong labor movement, a strong youth movement, and we must champion peace, respect and self-defense in these troubling times.